The USA Patriot Act was passed 45 days after the September 11th attacks on America. The act is supposed to faciliate the hunt for terrorists, but it has severely impacted our civil liberties in the process.

Originally known simply as H.R. 3162, the act's purpose seems simple enough:

H. R. 3162
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
OCTOBER 24, 2001

AN ACT
To deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States
and around the world, to enhance law enforcement investigatory tools, and for other purposes.

The first challenge to the Patriot Act was the right of detainees to have access to counsel and to challenge their detention in court. This right was upheld by the US Supreme Court in RASUL et al. v. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES, et al. on June 28, 2004.

Held:
"United States courts have jurisdiction to consider challenges to the legality of the detention of foreign nationals captured abroad in connection with hostilities and incarcerated at Guantanamo Bay."

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The ACLU has issued this statement:
"Just 45 days after the September 11 attacks, with virtually no debate, Congress passed the USA PATRIOT Act. Many parts of this sweeping legislation take away checks on law enforcement and threaten the very rights and freedoms that we are struggling to protect. For example, without a warrant and without probable cause, the FBI now has the power to access your most private medical records, your library records, and your student records... and can prevent anyone from telling you it was done.

The Department of Justice is expected to introduce a sequel, dubbed PATRIOT II, that would further erode key freedoms and liberties of every American.

The ACLU and many allies on the left and right believe that before giving law enforcement new powers, Congress must first re-examine provisions of the first PATRIOT Act to ensure that is in alignment with key constitutional protections."

Learning Links

USA Patriot Act
"Just 45 days after the September 11 attacks, with virtually no debate, Congress passed the USA PATRIOT Act. Many parts of this sweeping legislation take away checks on law enforcement and threaten the very rights and freedoms that we are struggling to protect. For example, without a warrant and without probable cause, the FBI now has the power to access your most private medical records, your library records, and your student records... and can prevent anyone from telling you it was done." Source: The ACLU

The USA Patriot Act
This is a look at the Patriot Act by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which prides itself on defending the freedoms of the digital frontier.Source: EFF

Sketches of the Patriot Act
The Federation of American Scientists has assembled a number of "sketches" and resources related to the Patriot Act.Source: The Federation of American Scientists